Help:Delivery problems

Not getting list messages, or something seems wrong with the ones you do get? This page walks through the most common problems and how to fix them. You do not need any technical knowledge to follow it.

Most delivery problems come down to one of a few things: messages are being sorted into a spam or other folder, you are subscribed with a different address than you think, your email provider is turning messages away, or your list settings have changed.

If you work through this page and still need help, email helpdesk@uvlists.org. See Still need help? at the bottom of this page for what to include.

Start here: quick checklist

Before reading further, try these steps. They solve most problems.

Check your spam or junk folder. Also check any other folders or tabs your email uses, such as Promotions, Updates, Forums, Other, or Clutter.
Search your mailbox for the list name (for example, Norwich-Discuss) or for lists.uvlists.org.
Make sure you are checking the right email account. If you have more than one address, the list only sends to the one you subscribed.
Add the list to your contacts. Each list has a contact card you can download. See Add the list to your contacts.
Check the list archive to see whether anyone has posted recently. Quiet lists sometimes go days without a message. The archive link is on the list's page in the list directory.

Add the list to your contacts

Adding the list to your address book is one of the most helpful things you can do. It helps in two ways:

Fewer messages go to spam. Many email services trust messages from addresses in your contacts.
Your messages go to the right place. When you write to the list, your email program will fill in the correct, current posting address for you. This matters most for lists that moved from Vital Communities, because the old addresses no longer work.

Every list has a ready-made contact card (also called a vCard). To get it:

Open the list's page in the list directory.
In the Mailing List Info box, find VCard File and select the link. It looks like https://go.uvlists.org/norwich-discuss.vcf.
Your phone or computer will offer to add the contact. Accept it.

You can also reach the card from the list's short web page at go.uvlists.org (for example, https://go.uvlists.org/norwich), which is where the QR codes on printed flyers lead.

The card includes the list's posting address, a link to change your subscription settings, and a link to the archives.

If you already had a contact for the list under its old Vital Communities address, delete or update the old contact so your email program does not keep suggesting it.

Messages are going to spam or another folder

Email services try to guess which messages you want. Mailing lists sometimes get sorted incorrectly, especially after a list changes its address.

The fix is the same everywhere: find a list message, tell your email service it is not spam, and add the list to your contacts. Doing this once or twice usually trains your email service to deliver future messages normally.

Gmail

Open the message in your Spam folder and select Report not spam (or Not spam).
If list messages land in the Promotions, Updates, or Forums tab, drag one message to the Primary tab. Gmail will ask whether to do this for future messages. Select Yes.
To make sure list messages never go to spam, create a filter:
1. In the Gmail search box, type lists.uvlists.org.
2. Select the filter icon at the right end of the search box (it looks like a set of sliders).
3. Select Create filter.
4. Check Never send it to Spam, then select Create filter.

Outlook, Hotmail, Live, and MSN

Open your Junk Email folder, select the list message, and choose Not junk.
If list messages land under Other instead of Focused, open one and choose Move to Focused, then Always move to Focused.
To add the list as a safe sender: go to Settings, then Mail, then Junk email. Under Safe senders and domains, add lists.uvlists.org and save.

Yahoo Mail and AOL Mail

Open the Spam folder, select the list message, and choose Not spam.
Add the list to your contacts (see above).

Apple Mail and iCloud

Open the Junk folder, select the list message, and choose Move to Inbox or Not Junk.
Add the list to your contacts (see above).

Comcast and Xfinity

In Xfinity Connect, open the Spam folder, select the list message, and choose Not spam.
Add the list to your contacts (see above).

Other email services and programs

Look for a spam, junk, or quarantine folder and a button labeled Not spam, Not junk, or Release. Adding the list to your contacts helps with almost every service.

If your email is provided by an employer, a school, or an internet provider's business service, messages may be held in a quarantine that only your IT staff can release. Ask them to allow mail from lists.uvlists.org.

Messages stopped arriving

If messages used to arrive and then stopped, check the items below.

Your email filters or rules

A filter or rule in your email program may be moving or deleting list messages. This is especially likely if you set up a filter for the old Vital Communities list.

Look at your filters (sometimes called rules).
If a filter matches an old subject tag such as [Norwich] or an old address ending in @lists.vitalcommunities.org, update it to match the new tag (such as [Norwich-discuss]) or lists.uvlists.org.
Make sure no filter sends list messages to the trash or archive without you noticing.

See Renaming Lists for how list names and addresses changed.

Your delivery was paused because messages were turned away

Sometimes an email service refuses to accept a message. This is called a bounce. Common reasons include a full mailbox, an expired or closed email account, or a provider that temporarily blocked incoming mail.

The list keeps track of bounces. If messages to your address are refused on five different days, without a full week of normal delivery in between, the list pauses delivery to you. It then sends you up to three notices, one week apart. If nothing changes, your address is removed from the list about three weeks after delivery was paused.

Because those notices go to the same address that is having trouble, you may never see them.

To fix this:

Fix the underlying problem first. For example, delete old messages if your mailbox is full, or make sure the account is still active.
Turn delivery back on. Sign in to the list's website (see Changing your settings below) and set Delivery status to Enabled. If it shows Disabled by Bounces, that confirms bounces were the cause.
If you were already removed, subscribe again.

If you are not sure what happened, email helpdesk@uvlists.org. We can look up whether your address had delivery problems.

You paused delivery, or someone else did

You can pause delivery yourself, for example while on vacation. If you did this and forgot, messages will not arrive until you turn delivery back on.

Sign in to the list's website and check Delivery status. It should say Enabled. If it says:

Disabled: you (or someone using your account) paused delivery. Change it to Enabled.
Disabled by Bounces: see the section above.
Disabled by Owner: the list administrators paused your delivery. Contact them using the list administrators' address on the list's page.

Your email address changed

If you changed internet providers, closed an old email account, or started using a new address, the list is still sending to your old address.

Subscribe your new address.
Once messages arrive at the new address, unsubscribe the old one, if it still works.

If you can no longer get into the old address, email helpdesk@uvlists.org and we can remove it for you.

You were unsubscribed

You may have been unsubscribed by accident, for example by selecting an unsubscribe link while cleaning up your inbox. Or the list administrators may have removed your address.

To check, try subscribing again. If the list says you are already subscribed, your subscription is active; look at your delivery status and filters instead. If you think the list administrators removed you, contact them using the address on the list's page.

You are getting digests, not individual messages (or the other way around)

Each subscriber chooses how to receive messages. This is called the delivery mode.

Regular: each message arrives as its own email, shortly after it is posted.
Digests: messages are collected and sent together in a single email, so you receive fewer emails but each one arrives later. There are several digest styles. Summary Digests list only the subjects.

If you moved from a Vital Communities list, your old choice (individual messages or digest) was carried over.

If you are expecting individual messages but only get occasional bundles, or the reverse, change your delivery mode. See Changing your settings.

You are getting two copies of messages

There are a few usual reasons for duplicates:

You are subscribed with two addresses that both end up in the same inbox. For example, an old address that forwards to your new one. Unsubscribe the one you do not need.
Someone replied to you and to the list at the same time. You get one copy directly from them and one from the list. To avoid this, sign in to the list website and set Receive list copies (possible duplicates) to No.
Your email forwards to another account, and you read both.

You do not see your own messages on the list

You post to the list and never see your own message arrive. Usually the message did go out.

Gmail hides your own list messages. Gmail sees that the message from the list is the same as the one already in your Sent folder, so it does not show it again. Other people still received it. Check the list archive to confirm.
Your setting may be turned off. Sign in to the list website and make sure Receive own postings is set to Yes.
The message may still be waiting for review. See the next section.

Your message did not appear on the list

If you sent something and nobody seems to have received it, check the list archive first. If it is not there, one of these is the likely cause.

You sent from a different address

The list only recognizes the address you subscribed. If you send from another address, even one that ends up in the same inbox, the list treats you as a stranger and holds your message. Send from the subscribed address.

You sent to the wrong address

Messages must go to the list's posting address, such as norwich-discuss@lists.uvlists.org. The address ending in -join or -leave is only for joining or leaving, and the address ending in -owner goes to the list administrators.

Messages sent to an old Vital Communities address do not reach the new list. You get an automatic reply pointing to the new address instead.

Adding the list's contact card to your address book is the easiest way to always send to the right address.

You replied to one person instead of the list

On UVLists, Reply sends your answer only to the person who wrote the message. To answer the whole list, use Reply All, or start a new message to the list's posting address.

This is on purpose, so that private replies do not accidentally go to everyone.

Your message is waiting for review

Volunteer moderators review some messages before they go out, for example messages from an address that is not subscribed, or messages addressed to many people at once. Your message will be sent once a moderator approves it. Because moderators are volunteers, this can take some time.

Messages are also held for review if they are too large. The limit is about 40 KB, which a single photo or a long chain of quoted replies can easily exceed. To keep your message small:

Do not attach photos or files. Share a link instead.
Delete old quoted text at the bottom before sending.
Send plain text if your email program offers it, and remove large logos or images from your signature.

See Send a message for more about posting.

Messages look strange

The subject starts with something in brackets, such as [Norwich-discuss]. This is normal. The tag tells you which list the message came from.
A message arrived with an attachment instead of the text, or the formatting looks odd. Some email programs display list messages differently. Try opening it on another device or in a web browser. If it keeps happening, let us know.
Links or pictures do not show. Many email programs block images until you allow them. Look for a button such as Show images or Download pictures.

You are getting messages you did not sign up for

If you do not remember subscribing, you may have been added when the list moved from Vital Communities, or someone may have subscribed you. Either way, you can leave at any time. See Leave a list.

A UVLists list will never ask you for your password, bank details, or other private information by email. If you get a message like that, do not reply. Report it to abuse@uvlists.org.

Changing your settings on the list website

Many fixes on this page involve your subscription settings. To change them:

Open the list's page in the list directory and select the Web Interface link. You can also use the link in the list's contact card.
Select Sign In at the top of the page.
If you have not used the site before, select Sign Up and create an account with the same email address you subscribed with. You will receive an email to confirm the account.
Once signed in, return to the list's page and select Manage Subscription.
Change Delivery status, Delivery mode, or the other options, then save.

To see all your lists at once, open the menu under your name at the top of the page and choose Subscriptions.

If you find the website difficult to use, email helpdesk@uvlists.org and tell us what you would like changed. We are happy to do it for you.

Still need help?

Email helpdesk@uvlists.org. UVLists is run by volunteers, and every request is tracked so it is not lost.

To help us solve the problem quickly, please include:

The name of the list, such as Norwich-Discuss.
The email address you subscribed with.
What is happening, for example "I stopped getting messages last week" or "my post never appeared."
When it started, and the date and time of a missing message, if you know it.
Any error message you received. If you got a message saying your email could not be delivered, forward it to us.

You will get a reply with a ticket number in the subject line. Reply to that message to add details, and keep the ticket number in the subject.

For questions about a list's rules or a decision by its administrators, contact the list administrators using the address on the list's page.

Need help?

For problems receiving messages, see email delivery help.

For other assistance, see contact UVLists.